Rebounding made all the difference for the Chambersburg girls basketball team on Tuesday night.

In a Mid Penn Commonwealth Division game when Chambersburg played host to the winless Carlisle Thundering Herd, the Trojans were finally able to break their eight-game losing streak with a 46-24 victory.

"It feels awesome," Chambersburg coach Jenny Schmutzler said. "Just the excitement when you go back in the locker room and see the girls having fun, that's what coaching is about. You want that for the kids, and I think the girls deserve to be on the other side because they do work very hard."

Although the Trojans shot just 12.5 percent from the floor in the first quarter, they were able to stay in the game with very effective rebounding.

In the end, Chambersburg outrebounded Carlisle, 43-21, which allowed the Trojans to take 63 shots. So although Chambersburg ended with just a 25.4 shooting percentage, it had a plethora of opportunities.

"That was very important because in most games, we're outsized," Chambersburg senior Marshay Ryan said. "For all of us to crash, it helps a lot because it makes it harder for the other team. It also makes it easier for us to get down the court."

Ryan finished with a team-leading 11 rebounds and added 12 points for her fifth double-double of the season and her second in a row.

The game started out competitively in the first quarter with the lead changing three times in the first eight minutes alone.

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But when the Trojans (4-9, 2-7 MPC) outscored Carlisle 13-3 in the second quarter, including a nine-point run to close out the half, Chambersburg held a solid eight-point lead at the break.

"They figured out how to beat us in the second quarter," Carlisle coach Robert Smetana said. "We hung with them in their man-to-man, but they figured out the zone was working, and they stuck with it. We tried to make some adjustments at halftime, but it just didn't carry over into the second half.

In the third quarter, the Herd (0-14, 0-9 MPC) cut the deficit to five with a quick layup by Bryanna Youtzy and a free throw by Tiffany Bauer, but then Chambersburg went off again. After an 11-2 run, the Trojans held a 31-17 advantage heading into the final quarter, and it was just a matter of time for the girls to get their much-anticipated celebration.

"It just feels good to finally get a win because we do work hard in practice, and this is what we've been working for," Ryan said.

In addition to their strong rebounding work, the Trojans also displayed an offensive prowess that Schmutzler has been expecting all season. Every Trojan who stepped on the court scored at least two points, and as a team, they scored their third-highest point total this season.

"At the beginning of the season, I thought one of our strengths was going to be that I had 10 girls that could all come off the bench and score," Schmutzler said. "We hadn't really lived up to that until tonight, but hopefully, this is a good spark."

Kaitlyn Rush was the leading bench scorer with five points; she also pulled down four rebounds and had a block.

"I got on her hard at the beginning of the season about telling her to be more aggressive in the paint, and I do think she stepped up for us tonight," Schmutzler said.

For the Herd, Andee Orsini led with nine points - seven of which came in the final quarter. Alex Shope was the leading rebounder with eight.

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Lizi Arbogast can be reached at 262-4788 or larbogast@publicopinionnews.com.